Moments Between Sleep

I'd been dreading this moment since the day I took a pregnancy test and saw two pink lines. It was, in my eyes, the worst part about being pregnant. I had no idea it would be this bad. As soon as I opened my eyes, not only did I have to pee like mad, but my stomach was waiting to spill its contents out of my throat.

There wasn't a bathroom attached to the guest room I'd moved into a few nights ago, so the moment my feet hit the floor, I darted for the door. Throwing it open, I ran as fast as I could down the hallway, past Alex's open bedroom door, ignoring the sounds of laughter coming through it.

I tossed myself down in front of the toilet, where my first morning of sickenss began, and my body instantly began to ache. I couldn't help the fact that I was being so loud, but as it was, if someone in the house wasn't awake; I'd woken them up.

After spending fifteen minutes getting sick, and ten minutes brushing my teeth, I left the bathroom to go change clothes for the day. I completely ignored the comments from Alex's room, his friends asking why I was here, who I was, and if I was puking my guts out.

I pulled on a low-cut wife beater. Today was supposed to be the hottest day of the week, and I was very sensitive to heat these days. With a sigh, I slid on a pair of shorts, but my breath faded from my lungs when I couldn't button them. With the morning sickness, I hadn't expected this.

I quickly paced to the full-length mirror hanging from the closet door, where I let out a loud scream upon seeing a brand new bump under my shirt. It seemed like over night this had happened. My slim figure had suddenly went away, and I was now rocking a swolen belly. This most certainly didn't help the sickness I was feeling.

"Ayden, are you okay?"

Hearing Alex's voice, I slowly turned around, tears dancing in my eyes. I didn't care that my shorts weren't buttoned, I didn't care that I was almost bawling. All I cared about was the bump. I felt like a freak.

"Holey cheese crackers!" Jack Barakat was the first to speak. "She's pregnant!"

He darted across the room, stopping right in front of me, where he got on his knees and put both of his hands on my belly. I felt weird because I didn't know him, but in the same sense, it made me feel better.

"Hey you in here!" Jack called to my belly. "I'm Jack!"

"Jack, get up," Alex gave a small laugh. "What's wrong, Ayden?"

"Do you see this?" I pointed to my stomach. "I'm fat!"

"You're not fat," he stepped into the room, taking a seat on my bed. "You're pregnant."

"Easy for you to say. Your pants will button!"

"What's going on here?" Rian questioned, walking farther into the room. "Are you really Alex's cousin, because it just doesn't add up. Lisa and Alex suddenly break up, and out of no where there's a pregnant girl shacking up in the guest bedroom."

"Who cares who I am! Do you see this?" I pointed to my belly again. "I'm a beast!"

"You can barely tell," Zack Merrick attempted to make me feel better. "All girls go through this during pregnancy, it'll pass."

"You know what?" Jack spoke. "I'm with Rian on this. Alex, you tell me everything, but I have no idea why you and Lisa broke up. What's going on, bro?"

Feeling more than awkward, I turned my head away from the guys and let them all focus on Alex. While I was sure they weren't looking, I slipped off the shorts and pulled a skirt over my body. I didn't want to wear it, but from here on out, I don't think any of my old clothes would fit.

"Look, guys," Alex started. "I, uh,-"
"Just tell them, Alex."

"Tell us what?" Jack begged. "What's going on, Alex?"

When Alex didn't speak, I knew he was feeling more shame than anything. I knew that as the lead singer of a band, he was used to living a care-free life with these guys. Telling them that he had a kid on the way would change everything. It would change more than just our lives.

"I'm pregnant," I stared, getting 'duh' looks from everyone. "And I blame you guys."

"Excuse me?" Rian spoke. "How is this our fault?"

"A little over a month ago, you guys invited a blone in a bra-" They all seemed to know instantly who I was talking about, "-to a party. You all got drunk and did your thing, and then you passed out. I was with the blonde, and Alex got me drunk. Things happened, and now I'm pregnant."

"No freakin' way!" Zack gasped, staring at Alex like a lost puppy. "No!"

"Alex, you're gonna be a dad?"